


LLLLLLet's be superheroes!

by ciTohCysP



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, X-Ray & Vav (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, I guess its Ray/Gavin if you squint, Superheroes, no relationships... yet, not really canon X-Ray & Vav, superhero au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-28 01:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2714606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ciTohCysP/pseuds/ciTohCysP
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ray first arrived at Rooster Teeth, he knew something was up... Specifically with that weird British guy, Gavin. But how did that lead to the two of them fighting crime dressed in spandex?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	LLLLLLet's be superheroes!

Something strange was happening in the Achievement Hunter office.

...Well, of course. When was there ever not something weird going on around Rooster Teeth? I mean, between Joel raving like a mad man about the stock market and Ryan being a creepy fuck there was always something a bit odd going on around the internet famous company.

But this was different. Yeah, Ray was sure of it. He could feel it from the moment he was hired to work in the small, bright green office… Or rather, he could see it.

Ever since he turned twelve he had had some kind of power no one could explain, it started as simple headaches and his vision slowly deteriorating, developing the need for glasses despite his previously near perfect vision, but it somehow morphed into a kind of power he would rather keep hidden. X-ray vision.

...Of course there was also the fact that he could shoot lasers out of his eyes, but that’s another story entirely.

In his later years he had gained some control over it, able to activate and deactivate it at will, but every once in a while when he was frustrated or excited it would just happen on its own, with or without his consent. This of course made it incredibly difficult to play video games seeing as every time he got a difficult achievement or beat the final boss his TV screen would fade out into a mesh of wires and circuitry.

But back to the point, something abnormal was going on and it all started with Gavin, the british twank with a nose the size of mount everest. He seemed rather normal at a glance, even with the outlandish hair that stuck out at gravity defying angles and his annoying, squeaky voice, he wasn’t exactly easy to pick out of a crowd. So for the first few weeks Ray more or less disregarded him as just another coworker to play minecraft and make achievement guides with.

Then it happened. Something strange.

The five of them were putting together the weeks GTA V lets play and things were getting heated, Geoff and Ray’s characters were pinned down behind a dumpster that looked suspiciously like someone had jerked off behind it and Geoff was screaming for back up, but with Ryan and Michael already dead and Jack halfway across the map trying to build a house, it looked hopeless.

Ray’s heart rate picked up, the adrenaline from the intensity of the match getting to him as bullets hailed down from the sky and his screen flooded with red… No wait, that wasn't the screen? His x-ray vision seeped in and out, sometimes the screen would appear in all it 1080p glory and the next all he could see was the room next door.

Hoping to conceal his sudden inability to perform with defeat, he groaned and threw his controler down on the desk before saying into the mic, “It’s hopeless, say your prayers Geoff.”

“No way buddy!” Geoff screeched back, still trying to hold off the cops, “I ain’t going down like this!”

Then everything slowed down. A light blue aura washed over his eyes, seeming to restore his flickering vision to normal and calm his beating heart as the whole world around him slowed to a near complete halt. All the chaos of the situation ebbed away in what felt like seconds and the confused screaming was replaced by an absolute silence… Well, besides the subtle sound of xbox controller buttons being mashed. The small click click click of frantic joystick movements being the only sound in this weird, tranquil world.

He attempted a noise of confusion, to ask what was happening, to say anything really, but everything was coated in molasses, like in a dream when you can't run, instead every step you take sending you two paces back in the opposite direction. He tried to turn in his chair, look at the others around him to see if they were having the same problem but only came to face the same difficulty, unable to move at all… No, he could move, just very, very slowly.

The trance was broken suddenly with a battlecry of, “Gav to the rescuuuuuuue!” And a gigantic cargo bob crashing out from between the buildings sending the few police who weren't crushed beneath its massive weight to skitter off in different directions.

The amazing picturesque moment was heightened by Geoff’s relieved, if not half crazed, laughter but all Ray could do was let out a long breath as the light blue haze slowly edged out of his vision.

“What… The hell… Was that?!” Ray exclaimed as he habitually lead his character to board the immense plane, referring to the moment of peaceful stillness that had washed over them seconds ago.

“I told you I would deliver, didn’t I?” Gavin cooed as he haphazardly lifted off the street and took off back into the air with the two new passengers on board.

“And deliver you did! Nice work!” Geoff yelled, failing to victory fist bump the other from across the room, causing Gavin to tilt back in his chair and come crashing to the ground subsequently sending the plane back down to earth in the game as well.

He screeched as the screen flashed white and yellow in an incredible fiery explosion and the three surviving members who hadn't abandoned the mission and gone off to build a house died instantaneously.

The lack of any similar startled reaction from his fellow office mates confirmed the thought that he was the only one who had felt… What ever the fuck that was.

“No! God damn it Gavin!” Geoff screamed over Gavin’s squawks of laughter. “We almost had it! We were so close! So god damn close!”

“Did you guys die already?” Jack asked, chuckling.

“Well, that sucked.” Michael commented, seeing as the mission had failed miserably and he was allowed to speak again.

“Definitely could have gone better,” Ryan added, “Especially if you guys hadn't shot me in the goddamn head before we even started!”

“Oh you couldn’t be trusted!” Geoff defended himself, “if we had let you live you would have just killed us later anyways!”

“Alright, that was one time!"

“Let’s play over.” Ray said in total deadpan and ended his capture, soon followed by the others.

“Leeeeeeet’s stop!"

Ray quickly excused himself after that, leaving the cramped Achievement Hunter office and trekking the short distance to the break room. He need a break, he needed to think. The kitchen like area was blissfully empty when he arrived so he made his way over to the refrigerator in peace.

If the others in the room hadn’t experienced the same strange phenomenon he doubted anyone else in the building would have so he skipped over that notion. He proceeded quietly picking out a chilled RedBull from the fridge as he thought, maybe it was another development in his powers? No, it didn’t come from him, he had no control over it whatsoever. Whatever it was he doubted it would happen again, it seemed like one of those one off things you read about on the internet alongside bullshit alien abduction stories, and if it did happen again he would try to figure out what caused it, deal with the source.

But the one thing that kept bugging him was that he hadn't panicked, the whole ordeal had even left him rather tranquil, usually he would freak out over the revelation of new powers not under his control but here he was calmly drinking a RedBull and thinking it through like a rational human being.

Regardless he needed to find out about whatever it was and he needed to do it fast, if middle school had taught him anything it was that other people were not so nice when they found out you were different, and he didn't want that to happen here, where he finally had a normal life… Or as normal as one can get while having the kickass job of playing video games for a living.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

He didn't have to wait long of the mysterious event to occur again, this time it happened during a minecraft let’s play, a relatively simple game between the six of them for the tower of pimps but somehow Gavin had managed to fuck it up, leading to an epic chase of Michael running after him as he dashed around the map, narrowly escaping from an angry redhead with diamond sword.

Ray swears he could almost hear it before he could feel it, that immediate slow of everything around him that caused him to suck in a breath as the blue haze surrounded him, like he was being thrown head first into a vat of icy water.

The moment everything stilled he again felt that familiar presence of composure that lulled him into the dreamlike state, though he refused to let the peaceful hush get to him, after all he was on a mission.

He attempted turning, this time finding it slightly easier than the last to pull himself through the thick air and turn his head, glancing at the others around the room.

They were all frozen in place, expressions of laughter and anger etched onto their features like stone statues… All except the man two desks over from him. Gavin seemed remarkably unaffected by the sudden stillness, his attention instead affixed on the screen in front of him, trying to escape Michael’s murderous clutches while giggling quietly to himself.

Ray wanted to gape at the other but found the simple action difficult in the sluggish atmosphere. Gavin. Gavin. Gavin was the culprit?

Then he blinked and it was over, everything returning to normal speed all at once and sending Ray’s mind reeling as Gavin’s character suddenly jumped a ways ahead of Michael.

“Oh what the fuck!” Michael screamed into the microphone, making everyone thankful for his special pop filter.

“Lag?” Gavin suggested with a broad grin.

“Bullshit.” Michael grumbled, but didn't call him out on any kind of cheating.

“Gavin the slow mo guy,” Ray said under his breath, purposefully leaning away from the mic.

Though the specific comment didn't merit a response from the brit like Ray hoped it would, he only continued playing as Michael gave up his chase and returned to the contest.

The rest of the let’s play proceeded without incident but that didn’t stop Ray from thinking about it, and none of the others said a word about it confirming his suspicion that he and Gavin were the only ones able to recall the event that had occurred seconds before.

Ray had an idea, a stupid idea, but an idea none the less and as far as he was concerned it was worth a shot. He quietly willed his x-ray vision to life, the people beside him flickering between being naked or fully clothed and even just appearing as skeletons with bits of muscle lining their bones and guts hanging in their ribcages. It was always unsettling to see a person with no skin but he persevered as his vision came into focus and he trained in on Gavin.

There. There it was. That same blue haze that had filled his vision before was now floating around the other man like a heavy cloud, shifting here and there and wavering like it was about to be blown away on a breeze but it still clung to him mercilessly.

Ray looked down at his own hands, a green sort of haze encasing them where he gripped the xbox controler. The same sort of cloudy substance that no one else could see surrounding him no matter what he did to get rid of it.

With his theory confirmed he blinked away the ability, a small headache forming in the forefront of his mind at having to use it so suddenly. Now he needed to know what was going on, and all he needed was a plan, a call to action… After this let’s play that is.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

It actually wasn’t for a few days that Ray acted on the new information, instead busying himself with work and other projects around the office like how long it would take until the animation team kicked him out for being annoying. Not that long apparently. Not that he really had to do anything as an opportunity presented itself to him only a few days later.

Ray was in the break room with Gavin and Burnie, stealing a slice of the weekly podcast pizza to take back to the office before Gus could yell at him when it happened again, and this time he knew before it was coming before it even happened. Gavin tried to latch onto Burnie’s back, climbing up onto his shoulders like a bird resting on a high perch, but the older man stumbled at the sudden added weight, sending them careening to the ground… At least that’s what was supposed to happen. Instead the world lit up in light blue, the faint color washing over the whole room and slowing down their descent as the air was pushed from Ray’s lungs.

There was almost something majestic in the way the bottle of beer in Brunie’s hand spilled, tilting and dripping slowly into the air, decorating the still blue haze in golden drops of liquor that floated unmoving.

Ray wiggled his fingers experimentally finding it easier and easier to move each time he was bound in the slow mo field, seems it was slowly losing its grip on him. Ray let a smirk touch his lips as he watched the events that proceded while standing as still as possible, trying to not give away the face he could still move.

Gavin stayed still for only a moment as his power activated, then quickly righted himself, pushing up to a standing position and backing away from where Burnie was still frozen mid fall. He snickered and with practiced ease got into a position that made it look like he was plummeting in the opposite direction, falling in a way to minimize damage and land on his ass instead of his face, or more accurately, his nose.

Just before he deactivated his ability, he seemed to think better of it and got back up from his teetering position, stepping carefully over Burnie’s slowly drifting form and picking the half spilt beer out of mid air, taking a long sip while Burnie continued to sail downwards. Ray was trying his hardest not to laugh as Gavin set the now empty bottle of beer afloat in the heavy air and settled back into his fake falling position and effortlessly returned the world to normal speed.

Burnie landed heavily on the floor and Gavin threw himself backwards animatedly. Ray burst out laughing as the blue light tone dispersed and Gavin crashed into one of the chairs, smashing his head on the leg and letting out a surprised squawk.

“God damn it Gavin!” Burnie screamed as he picked himself up and turned to the younger man, looking red faced and just about ready to slap him.

Feeling a sudden burst of confident energy Ray quickly intervened, saving Gavin from potentially getting fired by grabbing him by the arm and saying, “Gav, come on! Run!”

“Wot?” Gavin started as he was dragged away from his furious boss and down the hallway.

“Just come on!” Ray dragged him back into the Achievement Hunter office, shutting the door behind them and leaning against it as Gavin tripped into the room.

Ray quickly scanned the room, the only other person in the room being Caleb who had final cut pro open on his laptop and was editing some future video at Ryan’s excuse of a desk.

“Caleb, get the fuck out.” Ray said immediately.

“W-what?” He started but stopped when Ray glared at him and pointed towards the door.

He quietly gathered the small bunch of supplies and left the room with his head down and Ray shut the door behind him then turned to see Gavin giving him a quizzical look.

“Wot’s all this about?” Gavin asked, seeing that they were now alone in the bright green room.

“Vav, I- uh…” Ray tried, putting a hand to his forehead as his burst of bravado faded and he was left struggling for the right words.

“Wait, did you just call me Vav?” Gavin asked, a small smile lighting up his face despite Ray’s awkward demeanor.

“Wha- Yeah, I guess I did, but the point is-” _‘Hey, I know you have super powers, and guess what? I’ve got ‘em too!’_

“That sounds like a pretty top nickname! Do you think it’ll stick?” He continued, ignoring the tense atmosphere rising up around them.

“Hey, listen! Gav!” Ray cut him off from any more ramblings, running his hand through his hair and letting out a puff of air.

He had the others attention now, Gavin noticing his stiff shoulders and tight movements, his hands jerky as they fidgeted here and there. This was turning out to be harder than he originally thought.

“That thing- You were- It has- Aggh!” He groaned and unconsciously tried to pace the room, but found himself stuck between the door and Gavin in the clustered room.

“Ray, Ray calm down!” Gavin said motioning as one would to settle down a horse, waving his arms in some mock of a soothing gesture, and hell if Ray didn’t feel like bucking up and kicking someone in the face right about then.

“You know what, forget it!” Ray exclaimed throwing up his hands in frustration, his vision going in and out as he stressed, making Gavin’s blue aura mesh and collide with his agitated green one.

“Ray wait! Wot’s-” Gavin’s voice cut off as Ray slammed the door shut behind him, drawing an odd look from Barbara who was coming out of her office across the room but she didn’t comment, only shrugging and exiting out into the parking lot.

Mission failed.

He felt like crumpling to the ground but didn’t allow himself the relief, instead heading off in a different direction to go bother Joel, only spurred on by the image of Gavin standing shocked in the office, confusion written clearly across his face as Ray slammed the door. He found the picture etched into the back of his eyelids every time he closed his eyes, each time hoping it would disappear only to see, yep, it was still there.

God he dreaded the thought of having to explain himself the next day.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Surprisingly, the next day was not nearly as bad as he had expected it to be. In fact it went a little too well.

Gavin didn’t bring up his freak out from the day prior and no one else seemed to care about how oddly nervous he had been coming in to work that day. Everything was running smoothly like nothing had happened and Ray could almost forget why he was ever even worried. That was until that days recording.

The four of them, Ray, Michael, Ryan, and of course Gavin, were playing cloudberry kingdom for the first time in forever, blazing through levels with only minor difficulty when their steady progress came to a grinding halt. A level of impossible madness looming before them with lasers, spikes, and swinging platforms all tauntingly placed before them.

“Oh, well this is fucking fantastic.” Michael said sarcastically as he died for the umpteenth time.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Ray replied, falling immediately over the edge.

Ryan tried to say, “Damn it,” but it was drowned out by Gavin’s screeching as he was obliterated by a swinging laser beam.

“This is bloody impossible!” Gavin complained, staring intently at the screen as he attempted the jump yet again.

“No, you’re just not trying hard enough,” Ryan commented as his character made it slightly farther than Gavin’s only to be impaled by a sharp spike.

“Well I don’t see you doing any better!” Gavin retorted, but Ray knew what came next.

Michael started to say something, most likely along the lines of “God fucking damn it! I died again!” but his screaming voice cut off as total silence filled the room followed by the now familiar blue tint.

“ARGH!” Gavin let out a noise as he failed in his attempt to dodge a giant boulder attached to a chain that swung in from the ceiling, even with his slow mo powers unable to avoid the oversized obstacle.

Then just as quickly as it had slowed the world resumed it’s fast pace and Ray let out an annoyed huff. The unexpected introduction of slow motion making it hard to focus on completing the level.

Michael screamed profanities at the top of his lungs as he was knocked off screen again and again and Ray tried to get back into the well worn groove of gaming but that was difficult when every other attempt was ruined by Gavin’s untimely use of his slow motion powers. After the sixth or seventh time he had had enough.

Ray threw his chair back in annoyance and stood facing Gavin yelling, “Quit doing that, asshole!”

Gavin looked up at him from across the room confusedly, “Quit doin’ wot?”

“That... Thing! The slow motion thing!” Ray raged, he couldn't deny he took some satisfaction in the almost terrified expression that crossed Gavin’s face, his eyes lighting up with the fear that was written boldly across his face.

Gavin quickly got a hold of himself and turned back to his TV screen. “I don’t know wot you’re talkin’ about.”

“Oh yes you do! Don’t give me that shit!” Ray snapped watching the denial that had plastered itself all across Gavin’s body from the tilt in his frown to the crease in his eyebrows and the hunch of his shoulders.

“Geeze Ray, calm down and bitch into the microphone.” Michael said, patting him on the arm to console him from his outburst.

Ray just stood, glaring at Gavin for a moment as he continued in the game like nothing happened, then just as he moved to sit down it happened again, the flash of light blue that radiated from the other’s body and expanded to encompass the entire room. But this time it only lasted for a second, a brief flash of the hazy tone that clouded his vision.

“There! You did it again!” Ray practically screeched, throwing his hands up in his rare show of anger.

“Wot! You can feel that?!” Now Gavin was up out of his chair as well, he mouth hanging open in shock and eyes dancing with something like awe, but Ray was too mad to care.

“Yes I can feel that! Kind of hard for me not to notice when you’re using it every other fucking minuet!”

“Ray that’s amazing!” Gavin cooed, ignoring the other’s aggravation.

“No! It’s not! So cut it out!” Ray shouted, feeling light headed from all the screaming.

Ryan and Michael were just watching with interest from the sidelines by this point, spectating the apparent delirious rantings of two lunatics while the game sat unplayed in front of them. Their heads turned back and forth as they argued, not really following the conversation but finding it endlessly entertaining nonetheless.

Taking notice of their audience for the first time Gavin glanced from Michael to Ryan then slowed time down effortlessly, trapping Ray and himself in the quiet bubble that always calmed Ray’s racing thoughts without fail. He actually found he quite liked the presence of the blue haze, it lulled him into a sort of calm that was hard to achieve on his own in moments of stress.

Gavin let out a delighted squeal when Ray shifted, “You really are here!”

“Of course I’m here, where else would I be?” Ray questioned, as Gavin stepped closer to him, crawling over Michael’s desk and flailing to stand directly in front of him.

“Like, you’re here, but Rye and Michael aren't!” He explained with a general wave of his arm in the direction of the other two in the room with them.

“They’re still here, dumbass,” Ray told him with a snort. “They’re just not moving.”

“Well if they’re not moving they’re not really here, are they?”

“Whatever man, I’m not going down the rabbit hole that is Gavin logic.” Ray said, backing out of the senseless conversation while he still could.

“Yeah, but how?” Gavin asked excitedly, moving closer to Ray till they were practically nose to face.

“How what? You aren't making any sense!” Ray told him, leaning back from Gavin’s intrusion of personal space.

“How are you still moving?!” Gavin asked, poking at Ray’s arm experimentally.

Ray flexed his fingers and it was even easier than the last time, the simple motion that was difficult and straining before, now simple as when he was moving at full speed.

“I don’t know… I think it might have something to do with my powers-” Ray started, but was quickly cut off by a hyperactive Gavin.

“You’ve got ‘em too!?” Gavin gasped excitedly before breaking out into joyous laughter, “I knew I wasn't the only one! I knew it!”

“Well, not exactly…” Ray said carefully, putting a hand on Gavin’s chest to push him away as he tried to get ever closer until he was practically on top of Ray, seeing the immediate disappointment on Gavin’s face he quickly continued, “I can’t slow things down like you do.”

“Wot can you do then?” Gavin questioned, backing off a little, but unable to keep the complete thrill out of his voice.

“I have… Um, x-ray vision?” Ray said, a slight nervousness coming over him as Gavin was the first person he’d told since middle school, and that didn’t go so well…

“That’s amazing! Absolutely top!” Gavin blurted, “Does anyone ever call you X-Ray?”

“X-Ray?” Ray chuckled. “ I hope not.”

“We can be superheroes!” Gavin exclaimed, “X-Ray and Vav!”

Ray couldn't help but laugh at that. “Worst superheroes ever.”

“Of all time.” Gavin added.

Suddenly Gavin swayed on his feet, tottering precariously sideways before catching himself and standing up straight again, pressing a hand to his forehead.

“Gavin? What’s wrong?” Ray asked, concerned about the rapid deterioration of his friend’s mood.

“Nothin’, just I get all tired out if I use my slow mo too long…” Gavin trailed off and his eyes fluttered shut, the blue haze receding as Gavin fell forward onto Ray, sending them both sprawling to the ground.

“Gav!” Ray yelped as he hit the ground hard, “Gav?”

“Woah! What happened?” Michael asked alarmed by his sudden collapse as time restarted at a normal pace.

“I- I think he’ll be fine,” Ray stuttered, keeping his gaze on the unconscious Gavin.

God he had a lot of explaining to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked! I had to change a few things to make this AU work but it isn't too bad... So just don't start throwing shit- Hey! Put that chair down! Yes you! I said put it down! I promise I will update this! ...Eventually.


End file.
